Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in San Diego County, CA

Discover affordable housing in San Diego County where there are 552+ housing opportunities based on income and household needs like accessible units for seniors or persons with disabilities. Find and apply to these low income apartments now.

Estrella Del Mercado

1985 National Ave, San Diego, California 92113

bed Studio-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

Cedar Nettleton Apartments

160 Nettleton Rd, Vista, California 92083

bed 2-4
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

La Costa Paloma

1953 Dove Ln, Carlsbad, California 92009

bed 1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

Promenade at Creekside Apartments

2 Creekside Dr, San Marcos, California 92078

bed Studio-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

Coronado Terrace Apartments

1151 25th St, San Diego, California 92154

bed 2-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible

Hillcrest Inn

3754 5th Ave, San Diego, California 92103

bed Studio
payment $1350/mo.
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
real_estate_agent Naturally Affordable

4013-4021 Logan Ave Unit 4015A

4013-4021 Logan Ave, San Diego, California 92113

bed 2
payment $2795/mo.
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
real_estate_agent Naturally Affordable

Ocean Vista

3760 North Way, Oceanside, California 92056

bed 1-2
payment $2225-2390/mo.

Le Jaime

4820-4860 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, California 92117

bed 3
payment $3795/mo.

Silver Oak Apartments

567 Canyon Dr, Oceanside, California 92054

bed 1
payment $2120/mo.

Maya Linda Apartments

9646-9680 Carroll Canyon Rd, San Diego, California 92126

bed Studio
payment $2000/mo.

Mariner's Landing

48-150 E 31st St, National City, California 91950

bed 3
payment $3095/mo.

Canyon Springs Townhome Apartments

2000 E Main St, El Cajon, California 92021

bed 3
payment $3095/mo.

RiverEdge Terrace*

4805 Wind Surf Way, San Diego, California 92154

bed 3
payment $3671/mo.

Lincoln Heights

601 W Lincoln Ave, Escondido, California 92026

bed 1
payment $1895/mo.

Shadow Point

9830 Dale Ave, Spring Valley, California 91977

bed 1-2
payment $1842-2300/mo.

Azul Chula Vista

310 K St, Chula Vista, California 91911

bed Studio-2
payment $1999-2775/mo.

View

6670 Doriana St, San Diego, California 92139

bed 1-2
payment $2117-2456/mo.

The Avenue at Carlsbad

2262 Avenida Magnifica, Carlsbad, California 92008

bed 2
payment $2793/mo.

Pinnacle at Otay Ranch

1310 Santa Rita Dr E, Chula Vista, California 91913

bed 2-3
payment $2764-3635/mo.

How To Identify Affordable Housing in San Diego County, California

Look for program and preference badges on affordable apartment listings. These badges can help you identify the types of low income housing each apartment offers and if you may be eligbile for rental assistance or reduced rents.

Badge Description
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
Low income apartments with no or short waiting lists.
payment Subsidized
Low income housing where the rent is subsidized and the renter pays only a portion of total rent.
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
Apartments that accept Section 8 vouchers near you
elderly Senior
Rental housing for seniors who are 55 (or sometimes 62) and older.
payment Income Based
Affordable apartments where the rent paid is based on renter income.
accessibility Accessible
Meets Accessibilty Requirements of the Fair Housing Act, the ADA, or HUD policy.
accessible_forward Disability
Apartments for individuals or families with disabilities.
real_estate_agent Naturally Affordable
Naturally Occuring Affordable Housing - or NOAH - is any housing unit that offers affordable rent without participating in a rent subsidy program.
calendar_today Opened: Sep 1
Open Until Further Notice
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calendar_month

Reported On February 23rd, 2024 by Lorena Bentley

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In San Diego County, California
$53.66/hour
$37.66 (+235%) more than California minimum wage and $46.41 (+640%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About San Diego County, California Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve San Diego County, California?

Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.

Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing, Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV), Moderate Rehabilitation, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) programs for San Diego County, California.

Go to the California Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near San Diego County.

How many renters live in San Diego County, California?

The County of San Diego County has people living in households.

There are renters living in renter households in this County. Renters make up 41.56 percent of the population living in San Diego County.

What is the rental market like in San Diego County, California?

There are an estimated housing units in the San Diego County area. Of these, units are rental homes, making up percent of the housing market. For every renter household in San Diego County, California, there are 1.05 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in San Diego County?

The rental vacancy rate in San Diego County is 4 percent. This is a lower than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are low there are fewer available units. Rents tend to be higher as more people compete for scarce housing.

How many rental units are in San Diego County for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Diego County
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
43,339 132,076 222,387 97,828 30,927
Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Diego County

A large number of apartments in San Diego County have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.

How Much Is Rent in San Diego County

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $2,062 to $4,638. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $2,062
One BR $2,248
Two BR $2,833
Three BR $3,819
Four BR $4,638
2024 Fair Market Rents in San Diego County, California

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in San Diego County?

Renters with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher must select a home that is at or below the area’s Fair Market Rent. Markets with a large share of units above FMR tend to have longer search times to find a qualified unit, while those with a large share of units below FMR tend to have more choices and shorter search times. The share below FMR can vary by size of unit, as shown in the table below.

These are the approximate number of units renting below the FMR in this market:

Unit Size Count of Units Below FMR Percentage of Total Units Below FMR
Studio 17,696 41 percent
One BR 41,710 32 percent
Two BR 36,223 16 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in San Diego County, California

How many affordable rental units are in San Diego County?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in San Diego County, California including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit
Public Housing
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance
Section 236 Rental Assistance
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities
USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing
USDA Section 514 Farm Labor Housing
Tracked Units by Federal Program in San Diego County, California

Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.

Income Based Apartments in San Diego County, California

San Diego County features 10,876 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.

Low Rent Apartments in San Diego County, California

There are 24,458 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in San Diego County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in San Diego County, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay San Diego County landlords $900 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in San Diego County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in San Diego County, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,550 and $3,116.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

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